Anticipation was abound once it became evident the Nippon-Ham Fighters would post Shohei Ohtani this winter. In advance of that being formalized, Ohtani sent a memo to all 30 clubs.

It included a questionnaire that among other inquiries, asked clubs how they intended to utilize the two-way star. The seven questions that were to be answered by interested teams was viewed as a means for Ohtani to pare his options.

The end results was seven finalists in the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. Ohtani concluded his round of meetings with each team this week.

Now at the point of weighing his options, the Mariners and Padres are the favorites to sign the 23-year-old, according to Jim Bowden of SiriusXM:

The Rangers lead the seven finalists with $3.5 million available, while the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants and Padres are all capped at $300,000.

While the Angels and Mariners moved to improve their financial standing, it’s not considered to be a top priority for Ohtani. That in some part is evident by his making the jump to the Majors at present time.

Had Ohtani waited two more years, at which point he would’ve been 25 years old and not limited to bonus pools, it’s estimated he could have signed a contract worth at least $200 million.